Dreams By Design
Visiting South Fargo’s Golden Valley neighborhood, we toured The Archer, a beautiful three-level model by Jordahl Custom Homes, recently featured in the BIA’s Fall Parade of Homes. Leading the tour were seasoned designers Melanie Havig, Shirley Hayer, and Molly Ford, who shared a glimpse inside Jordahl’s Design Center, their collaborative design process, and the inspiration behind The Archer’s sophisticated boho palette.
BY Tracy Nicholson
PHOTOS BY Dan Francis Photography and LS Photography Co.
MEET THE ARCHER
Inside the grand, two-story foyer of The Archer, Jordahl Custom Homes elevates attainable sophistication with a popular three-level floor plan featuring four bedrooms and three baths. Spanning 2,254 square feet, the main living space offers an open-concept design that seamlessly connects the living room, dining room, and kitchen, all bathed in natural light from thoughtfully placed windows that draw the eye to 12 1/2-foot ceilings. Like all Jordahl homes, The Archer offers a range of customizable features, including a walk-in pantry, a living room fireplace, and various options for railings, tile, trim, flooring, hardware, and cabinetry.
On the main level, the stunning White Oak and Accessible Beige kitchen takes center stage, opening to the dining and living room expanses, with backyard views and a generous center island ideal for entertaining. Before this home opened to Parade of Homes’ guests, Jordahl Custom Homes partnered with Mary Ellis of The Ellis Edit to add the finishing touches with staging and furnishings. “We wanted this house to be light and airy, boho, and eclectic but very comfortable, not sterile or feeling too forced,” said Hayer. “The White Oak, unique lighting, and gold hardware definitely lend themselves to that feel, more of a sophisticated boho.”
Though this model was collaboratively designed by Jordahl’s designers to highlight emerging styles and features, clients always have the final say in their custom home. At Jordahl, a hands-on design process begins with a deep dive into personal style and functional needs, leading to a custom floor plan also crafted by an in-house draftsman and sales team. Step by step, the design team guides clients through the selection process within a well-stocked Design Center, ensuring every detail is tailored to the homebuyer’s unique style preferences and lifestyle needs.
MEET THE DESIGNERS
Molly Ford, Jordahl Lead Designer
Molly Ford, Jordahl’s Lead Designer, has been an Interior Designer for nine years and with Jordahl for five. She discovered her passion early on, branching from the family tree. “My grandma had a little antique shop we would run around in when I was younger. She always knew the story behind each piece of furniture or art; this started my true appreciation of design history,” explained Ford. “My personal style of eclectic design, mixing the old with the new and modern, stemmed from that experience. That is what is so special about building a home with Jordahl rather than purchasing a pre-owned house. I love helping people incorporate their own personal style in their home and finding the selections they love.”
Molly works hard to simplify the sometimes overwhelming process of design decisions. “We get to know our clients pretty quickly during the design process, so we can tell if they enjoy looking at all the options or if they need them pared down a bit. One of the best parts of our process is that we’re with them through the entire project,” said Ford. “We start by reviewing the floor plan and customizing it to fit their lifestyle. There’s a lot to decipher, like whether they’ll love an open floor plan or prefer more separation. We also discuss access to natural light and whether there’s a view they’d like to leverage. Then, we move on to the exterior of the home, where we can really bring in personal style that transitions nicely to the interior. We help select all the finishes with the homeowner, from flooring to tile to cabinet hardware, and even down to the placement of light switches and outlets.”
DESIGN FORECAST
Molly is a fan of the Color Drenching movement, offering a powerful one-hue dynamic saturating the design. “It’s daring but can be beautifully done, whether it’s in a fabulous little half bath or a laundry room. One thing I think we will see more of in the future are Wellness Spaces,” said Ford. “Today’s homebuyers are prioritizing both physical and mental health; it’s no longer just something of interest, it’s a way of life that’s translating into home interiors.”
Shirley Hayer, Jordahl Interior Designer
Shirley Hayer has been an Interior Designer at Jordahl for four years but has a total of 30 years of industry experience, along with a bachelor’s degree in both Interior Design and Architecture. She loves aligning with the constant change and evolution of the design industry. “I think I’ve always been a Designer,” said Hayer. “Even as a kid, I was moving the furniture around in my neighbor’s and friend’s living rooms, because it made more sense to me to see it laid out a little differently. Oftentimes, the moms would like that new furniture layout better, too!” Today, she enjoys the role she plays in bringing the client’s vision to life at Jordahl. “It’s so rewarding to see the delight on our homeowners’ faces at their final walkthroughs.”
According to Shirley, Jordahl is ideal for clients who want the ability to customize their homes through a guided design experience, but also want the schedule of a builder that has a streamlined construction process. “A beautiful new home can be built in a few months, rather than over the course of a couple of years,” added Hayer. “Designers really do weave so much more knowledge and thoughtfulness into the creative process than just bringing a ‘flair’ of good taste. We are trained in building codes, space planning, understanding building materials and finish performance, and so many other factors that are important to consider when designing a home.”
DESIGN FORECAST
“I love that our design team is constantly updating and tweaking our finish selections to provide a variety of options that are on trend with the broader design world that we see in larger markets and that appeal to a wide range of styles and tastes,” said Hayer. She has noticed a transition from bright whites to a modern infusion of warmer tones, creams, beiges, and even brown, with plenty of texture, which also lends itself to the popular concept of Color Drenching. “This is when you cover walls, trim, cabinets, and even the ceiling in a single, saturated color. It can really create a unique and moody space.”
Melanie Having, Jordahl Interior Designer
Melanie Havig has been an Interior Designer for a total of 16 years and nine of it has been as a designer with Jordahl, leaning into her passion for helping people. “Helping people is what drew me to the profession,” said Havig. “Helping people is what drew me to the profession,” said Havig. “I love learning about people, how they live their day-today, and what’s most important to them, then taking that information and, like a puzzle, arranging the pieces of building a new home to bring it all together in the most functional and beautiful way possible. I love the relationships I’ve built and that no two days or two homes are the same! I also appreciate that design is ever evolving and every day presents new opportunities to try new things and think outside the box to find the best solution.”
Whether designing starter homes or dream homes, knowledge is power. “I wish more people knew that no matter the budget, they have so many options and customizations available when building with Jordahl,” said Havig. “We aren’t a cookie-cutter home builder, and we work with clients to learn about them and help them to build their home. We understand that everyone has a budget and we’ll be side-by-side with them through the process, helping to create beautiful spaces and focusing on making selections to fit within their price point. Building a home can seem like a daunting task to some, but since we work with clients from start to finish, we can break it all down and guide them as they consider different options, step-by-step. By the time we finish our last appointment together, most clients are surprised by how easy it was and how much fun they had throughout the design process.”
DESIGN FORECAST
According to Melanie, the future of design is less “farmhouse” white and more earthy, leaning into nature’s neutrals with textured materials, bolder cabinet tones, large windows, open, airy spaces vibes, and unique elements that build interest, like interior windows, lighting, cabinet and door hardware, and tile. “Neutrals give so much flexibility,” added Havig. “Having a neutral foundation not only creates longevity with a fresh air-type of comfortable sophistication, but it allows us to introduce more client-specific elements of color and texture, whether in other materials of the build—like flooring and tile—or in the final touches of the home including furniture, wall art, and accessories.”
JORDAHL’S DESIGN CENTER
“Our Design Center is a one-stop shop, where we continuously re-evaluate trends to curate a wide selection for clients to choose from,” said Havig. “Clients aren’t running all over town to make selections and hauling samples with them. They get one designer to walk through the whole process with them over four or five meetings. While many decisions are dictated by budget, we intentionally try to make each home look and feel very different. For example, unlike The Archer, our Douglas home is very moody and dark in its color tones. When we design model homes on the Parade, we want people to see that Jordahl isn’t just one style of home, we have a lot of different and creative options.”
In Melanie’s experience, most people aren’t sure what they like, but can more easily tell you what they don’t like. “To me, that’s equally as helpful because we’re narrowing down the options,” said Havig. “Sometimes photos of previous builds help to draw out opinions, which is really helpful. It’s important to know a client’s budget, so I can help make suggestions that will give the look and functionality a client wants, using creative ways to fit within a certain price point.” “We are lucky we’re able to show many different options and price points right here in our Design Center, but there is always the option to customize further,” said Ford. “If you don’t love the flooring we show, we will find the one that you do!
Our Design Center is always evolving with new and fun items to show, which is great. It is exciting to see what people fall in love with throughout the process. Most of our clients are very visual, so it’s nice to give them a place where they can see what the new product looks like, weither in the Design Center or one of our model homes.”
According to Shirley, the overall design process is personalized for every type of homeowner, whether it’s a first home, family home, or forever home. “If it’s someone’s first home, they may not be as sure of what they want, versus clients who have built before and are really familiar with what they need to function well in the home. We have also worked with many families who want to incorporate unique ideas from their culture, which is really fun to see,” said Hayer. “Only about 20% of my clients bring in pictures and say, ‘This is what I’m going for.’ Often, clients want to replicate features they’ve seen in our models or Design Center because it’s been such a helpful visual tool for them.”
THE ARCHER
At Jordahl, their team can either start from scratch or customize a blueprint to make it distinctly yours. Start by choosing a layout from their portfolio, and Jordahl’s design team will work with you to help personalize every square foot. Here, base prices start around $260,000, based on design budget, lot locations, and square footage needs. Explore all of Jordahl’s 26 floor plans, ranging from Bi-Levels and Ramblers to Two-Level and Three-Story homes at: jordahlcustomhomes.com.
DESIGN DETAILS
Builder: Jordahl Custom Homes
Floorplan: The Archer
Interior Design: Shirley Hayer, Melanie Havig, Molly Ford
Draftsman: Justin Hands, Erik Huffman
Staging: Mary Ellis, The Ellis Edit
Flooring: Mohawk Malted Oak Laminate
Kitchen Cabinetry: Clearwater Cabinetry in White Oak, Accessible Beige Cabinet
Hardware: Top Knobs, Lily Pull in Honey Bronze
Countertops: Calacatta Laza and Chipped Ice Quartz through Spaulding
Stone Primary Bath Painted Cabinetry: Oyster Bay Tile: Coco 2x6 Backsplash Tile, Installed Vertically
Plumbing/Fixtures: Kohler Plumbing Fixtures, Moderne Brass Kitchen Faucet
Open Railing: Nantucket open rail-style with a custom stain & paint
Appliances: GE Appliances in Slate, sourced through Homemakers Villa
Lighting: Nightingale foyer chandelier, Elsie kitchen pendants, Lexi bath light fixtures, and Emmett semi-flush hall lights - Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery
Wall Color: Sherwin Williams, Pure White
Siding: Driftwood & Stone Harbor Siding with Echo Ridge Country Ledgestone